A pilgrimage is an important religious duty for many people across religious divides. But, when boarding an airplane to the holy lands, the intending pilgrims do not concern themselves with the faith or creed of the pilot.
The desire is always to travel in comfort and arrive in safety. Intending pilgrims can legitimately care about the condition of the airplane and the competence of the pilot.
Let us take another analogy. In 2016, Sadiq Khan contested the election for the very weighty post of Mayor of London on the platform of the Labour Party. He soundly defeated his Conservative Party opponent, Zach Goldsmith, after polling 56.8 percent of the total votes cast.
Khan made history by becoming the first Muslim to be elected chief executive officer of a major European capital city, and he did so well in his first five-year term that the electorate rewarded him with a second term in 2021. And he defeated another Tory rival, Shaun Bailey.
What is the point of these analogies? It is clear that the intending pilgrims didn’t think that the religious inclination of the pilot was important in their choice of a plane or the pilot that flies them to the holy lands.
In the same way, London’s eight million residents totally overlooked religious sentiments to elect a Muslim mayor twice, in a city with only eight percent Muslims and 50 percent Christians.
The voters cared more about the things that really mattered to their lives and goals,than his faith. Khan, as MP for many years, had demonstrated competence and care for the people and their welfare, the reason they had no hesitation voting for him.
Compare the choices of the English voters and with what goes on in Nigeria today, and you realise that we are headed in the wrong direction and for wrong reasons.
Nigeria is surely traveling on the road to perdition when our choices of pilots and candidates for political leadership are befuddled by primitive sentiments of tribe, creed, and zone, rather than competence, the fitness of body and mind, track record of performance, love of justice, and bonding with stakeholders across board.
Let us narrow the discussion down to Kaduna state, where an incumbent, first-term Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, has been picked as running mate by the foremost gubernatorial hopeful, Distinguished Senator Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Indeed, the choice of Hadiza Balarabe is a masterstroke in political calculation. It is logical, strategic, purposeful, and guaranteed to add immense value to the impending victory of the party and its candidate, as Senator Sani prepares to take over the leadership baton from his mentor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
As deputy governor for over three years, Hajiya Hadiza played her role so well that she can be seen as a classic case, a role model, for people in similar positions across the nation. Nobody, in all honesty, can accuse her of incompetence or lack of diligence in any role she had been assigned, including the many times her principal entrusted her with full gubernatorial powers as acting governor.
Having acquitted herself so well in the first tenure, what could be the logical next role for her? Yes, she has all it takes to transit to the substantive governor at the end of El-Rufai’s transformational second term. But, political permutations didn’t let that happen.
Again, what’s the next logical role for Dr. Hadiza Balarabe? Why on earth would anyone query the propriety of giving her a chance to complete her constitutionally allowed two terms as deputy governor? We can all agree that her choice as running mate is logical, very sound, and duly backed by the constitution.
A discerning mind can see many other reasons the continuation of Madam Hadiza as deputy governor beyond 2023 would add value to the anticipated government of Uba Sani.
On October 15, 2020, Dr. Balarabe, as acting governor, had the historic privilege to present the Kaduna State Budget of Renewal before the state assembly, becoming the first female to do so in the history of Nigeria. It is clear, therefore, that she fully understands the El-Rufai methods and tactics that have impacted so positively on the developmental landscape of the state.
In pairing with the incoming Uba Sani administration, Hadiza would naturally bring to the table, her wealth of institutional knowledge and experience. Her input in the next government would be of great help to Uba Sani, who is coming from the legislative arm of government.
A committed, loyal, tested, and trusted deputy governor would help the newbie to quickly and seamlessly slide into the continuation and consolidation mantra, by which Uba had pledged to keep building the progressive foundation already laid by Mallam El-Rufai.
Let us not forget to applaud and celebrate the excellent working relationship between Governor El-Rufai and Hadiza Balarabe. It is a refreshingly different working partnership, worthy of emulation in a country where governor-deputy relationships are mostly frosty, and very often confrontational and detrimental to the smooth conduct of government business.
It is evident that Hadiza will remain even more loyal and supportive of Uba Sani administration, as she deploys her on-the-job experience of the past years to help deliver more dividends of democracy to the good people of Kaduna state.
It is important to also interrogate the possible impact of Uba Sani’s choice of running mate on his chances of winning the gubernatorial contest.
Scare-mongers and naysayers have flown the kite of religious balancing, being that both the flag holder and his running mate belong to the same religion. Well, Kaduna has progressed beyond this mundane level.
The master strategist and gender-sensitive El-Rufai laid this to rest in 2019 when he first picked Hadiza Balarabe from Sanga local government area in the southern senatorial district. The ticket did not only go ahead to trounce the opponents, the ensuing administration has delivered transformational leadership and quality projects across vital sectors in all parts of the state.
The stage is set for a replay of the 2019 victorious episode, this time, with Dr. Balarabe pairing with a new candidate.
Yes, Kaduna state is richly blessed with thousands, if not millions, of citizens of various ethnic and religious affiliations, all of whom are competent and qualified to vote and be voted into leadership positions. Unfortunately, only one person can be governor at a time, and the governor can have only one deputy.
As citizens, residents and voters, we have the responsibility to ask for effective leadership, fairness, empathy, and social justice from the elected officials and those they appoint to various positions.
But it is primitive, unhelpful, and useless to waste our energy and other resources interrogating the faith of those in leadership positions when their official duties do not include roles in the mosque, church, or shrine.
Congratulations to Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, Deputy Governor, Kaduna state, 2019 to 2027.
Ogbuagu writes from Kaduna.
